A major study has found that there is
no single “gay gene.”
Nearly half a million middle-aged
people from Britain participated in the study. They donated blood
samples and answered questionnaires.
When researchers looked at genetic
variants in people who had at least one same-sex partner, they
identified just five variants.
That means the people who had at least
one same-sex experience had virtually nothing in common.
Cecile Janssens, a professor of
epidemiology at Emory University, told NRP that researchers had found
nothing “worth reporting.”
Benjamin Neale, a geneticist and data
scientist at the Broad Institute and a co-author of the study, said
that the study underscores that environment can influence sexuality.
“Both things matter,” he said.
“Yes, there's some biology and yes, there's likely some
environment, but beyond that we can't specify.”